Syracuse, NY -- A state prison inmate accused of sending hoax anthrax letters to five U.S. District Court clerk’s offices pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment today in federal court in Syracuse.

Roberto Cepeda, 46, an inmate at Auburn Correctional Facility, is accused of sending the letters from prison to clerk’s offices in Syracuse; Washington, D.C., and Charlottesville, Harrisonburg and Alexandria, Va., in April 2007, according to federal prosecutors. The letters contained an unknown substance along with a document that stated the substance was anthrax.

The letter addressed to the Syracuse and Washington offices contained a message that stated “This is ANTHRAX,” according to his indictment. The letter to Alexandria said “ANTHRAX for you.” The letter to Harrisonburg stated, among other things, “Die from ANTHRAX,” the indictiment states. The Charlottesville letter mentions Virginia Tech, adding “this is ANTHRAX for you.”

Cepeda is charged with violating U.S. Code against spreading false information, which, if true, would involve the use a weapon of mass destruction, the indictment states. Cepeda is serving a sentence of 4½ to 9 years in Auburn for burglary, ID theft, forgery and attempted placement of a false bomb, according to the state Department of Correction web site. He was sentenced in April 2006.

If convicted, Cepeda faces up to five years in federal prison and up to $250,000 in fines, prosecutors said.

The FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the state police and the Inspector General’s Office for the state Department of Correctional Services investigated the incidents.